Reducing costs by auditing licences and virtualising servers

Ashdown Medway Association Trust (AMAT) is a homelessness charity based in Medway. The charity, established in 1997, supports vulnerable homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. Their dedicated team of staff and volunteers provide a range of services from advice and support to tuition and access to IT services, so a reliable IT infrastructure is essential.

The charity was given 50 second hand computers in 2013. Unfortunately they all had Windows XP pre-loaded on them; an operating system for which Microsoft no longer provides support. The management team contacted Impreza to see if there was anything we could do to help them make best use of the donation, and we were delighted to be able to help.

Following a full review of the infrastructure we installed Windows 7 and Office 2013, arranging Microsoft charity licensing so the software could be purchased at a reduced cost. A new server was installed and emails were changed to Office 365 for Non-Profit to ensure maximum efficiency and best value for money. Suddenly their donated equipment was working to full capacity, helping the charity to work smartly and support their clients better than ever before.

The changes made the everything they wanted possible at a fraction of the expected cost. It literally saved them over £6,000.